This is a quick heads-up that PALS (subscribers) can now snag a Path of Exile: The Awakening beta key by adding their name to this post in the PAL forum. The beta will be running for a few more weeks and it gives access to the new gloomy looking Act IV.

Blizzard posted news about the upcoming community designed Legendary item project last week and immediately saw a lot of positive replies, but also (of course) some complaints. What exactly people didn’t like about this wasn’t real clear, but lots of fans pointed out that Path of Exile has been incorporating fan-made Unique items into the game all along.

Last week the industry descended on the 2013 GDC in San Francisco, and as you know from the news here, Jay Wilson took part with his Diablo 3 postmortem. Also attending for the first time were Grinding Gear Games who were there on business but they also took time out to catch up with Jay Wilson (they talked about game design) and a couple of their gaming heroes Max and Erich Schaefer.

Another busy week on IncGamers so let’s catch up with what we’ve been up to. First up there are 1000 Path of Exile Beta keys for this weekend’s test as Grinding Gear introduce a new character class called the Shadow. Snag a key instantly here.

If you’re still waiting for your chance at the Diablo 3 Beta, or you need a break to try something different, (or you’re a Windows XP user), Grinding Gear Games is running a Public Stress Test Weekend for Path of Exile, with full access to the their beta test for everyone. More details here, from RPG Reporter.

Thanks to Chris Wilson’s largess, I have a big stack of beta keys for the upcoming, dark ARPG PathofExile.com‘s ongoing beta test. No, it’s not D3, but if you win one you can start playing instantly, and the PoE beta is the full game. The GGG devs are really looking for feedback and constantly making changes based on it.

The thirtieth episode of The Diablo Podcast. In this episode we take a break from Diablo III to focus on another game, the upcoming free-to-play, dark fantasy MMORPG, Path of Exile. PoE’s lead developer Chris Wilson joins Flux for an in-depth conversation about the game’s innovative features, their financial plans to fund development through “ethical micro-transactions,” the game’s impending beta test, and much more.

The Path of Exile beta test has begun, and invites are flying. There’s even a nifty timer on their main page, counting down how long until the next invite goes out. Names of the lucky forum users are displayed with each, so you can look on and hope for yours, while cursing those who have already received one.

Have you guys checked out Path of Exile lately? I got to see an early build and spoke extensively with the devs when they first announced the title last year, and as the game moves through the Alpha test and towards a public beta, it’s garnering more fan attention.

With Blizzard on vacation the Diablo III news has officially dried up. There are, however, other games out there, of an RPG nature. One we profiled earlier this year was Path of Exile, an F2P RPG being made by new NZ developer Grinding Gear Games. I haven’t played it since the guys showed me a copy during their debut press tour of San Francisco back in September, but I remember it fondly. They’re still working away, and they recently revealed the Witch, the 3rd (out of 6) character classes. Check out the PCGamer article for info, screens, and a Q&A with game producer Chris Wilson.

You saw our big write up, and the huge interview posted on IncGamers.com, along with the videos and screenshots. We weren’t the only ones who got to see Path of Exile though, and first impression articles are all over the gaming media. (And more will likely appear next week, since the guys are up in Seattle showing off the game at PAX. PoE Lead Producer Chris Wilson let me know that they were thrilled to meet Max Schaefer and Travis Baldree of Torchlight fame.)